


I'm Right Here

by Sagittae



Category: Sleepy Hollow (TV)
Genre: Because I needed it, F/M, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, and im slowly getting my muse back, yep im obsessed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-18
Updated: 2015-01-18
Packaged: 2018-03-08 01:56:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,060
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3191180
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sagittae/pseuds/Sagittae
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Abbie becomes captain of the police department, Ichabod has some concerns.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I'm Right Here

**Author's Note:**

> Yep, it's been a while. A _long_ while. And I'm sorry for that, haha. Anywho, this has been an idea on my mind for quite a while, but it didn't fit into my AU series, so here you go. A standalone fic. It's 2AM so I apologize for any mistakes you may find. Enjoy~

“ _Hello? Crane?_ ” Abbie’s voice on the other end of the line caused Ichabod to snap out of his daze. While waiting for his partner to pick up the phone, he hadn’t realized he had slipped into a trance. He supposed five consecutive hours of reading could do that to someone. “ _What’s up?_ ” He could hear traces of worry in her words and he could not help but feel a bit guilty. Texts for chatting and calls for emergencies; that was the rule they had established, one that had come into existence only when Abbie had become captain of the police department.

… But what if he considered his current thoughts to be something that allowed for an emergency?

He cleared his throat and sat up straighter in the cushioned armchair, “I apologize for causing any inconvenience, Miss Mills.”

(It had taken him a long while for him to stop calling her ‘lieutenant’.)

“ _No problem. Just sitting here doing boring paperwork anyway_ ,” she mumbled. He could hear her clicking her pen absently. “ _Did you find anything to take down our new friend?”_

Ichabod sighed, his posture dropping a bit as the air escaped his lips, “Unfortunately, no. It appears Pestilence is just as stubborn as the other three Horsemen we have encountered. There is no sure way to vanquish him.”

She responded exasperatedly, “ _I thought that would be the case. So, what’s going on?_ ”

For a moment, he had forgotten why he had called, “Pardon?”

“ _You called, Crane,_ ” Abbie deadpanned and he knew that if he could see her right then, she would have her head tilted slightly and her eyebrows raised in a way that said, “Really?”

And even though he was not speaking directly to her, his fingers still twitched nervously, as he was not sure how his concerns would be received. Ichabod sniffed, “While I was engaged in my studies, I had a rather troubling thought. So far, the Horsemen have killed people who are close, or rather, _connected_ to you and all of them have been in the position as Captain of your defense department. Now that you are captain, I fear your life may be in danger.”

There was a pause in the conversation as Ichabod’s theory seeped into the silence. When he was given no response, he began to regret his decision to speak his mind on the matter. He knew it would be a sensitive subject, especially with the most recent death of Sheriff Reyes at the hands of Famine. He could still remember how furious Abbie had looked when they had found her body among the few other casualties that the third Horseman had caused.

“ _So…_ ” Abbie interrupted the quiet static of their call. “ _You think that Pestilence is going to go after me because I’m the captain now? You’re scared that the position is cursed or something?”_

Ichabod whispered, “Yes…” And he wasn’t just scared. He was terrified. Too many people had died in this war against evil, and if Abbie were to be one of them… Ichabod would surely break.

“ _Crane… Listen_ ,” her voice became incredibly soft. “I’m right here. _Nothing’s going to happen to me if I can help it, okay? Don’t worry about it_.”

At her comforting words, Ichabod seemed to deflate, “Of course, Miss Mills. It was a silly concept.” The light, affirmative words left his lips, but they did not stop the gnawing feeling that continued to grow in the pit of his stomach.

“ _Seriously. Curses? Did Jenny let you borrow Grace’s journal again?_ ” There was a touch of humor in her tone and he heard her chuckle slightly.

And he allowed himself to laugh along with her.

* * *

 

Ichabod gently held Abbie’s limp one as the repetitive beeping of the monitor echoed through the room. And even though the steady lines across the screen assured him that Abbie was alive and breathing, he still had his eyes locked on her features, mentally willing her to open her eyes.

Jenny had left to speak with the doctor, leaving Ichabod to sit and repeat the scene in his head over and over again.

It had been five days since they encountered Pestilence head on. They had a way to kill him, but it would require his captivity. However, Abbie had gotten too close to his toxic form. While trying to stab the Shawnee dagger into his neck to neutralize him, Pestilence had managed to grab her wrist. The day ended with the Horseman fleeing, permitting an exhausted pair of Witnesses to return to their homes.

So, at first, Ichabod didn’t think too much about her fatigue. Then came the fever, and the coughing, and finally, the blood. By midnight, Abbie was covered in red splotches and sweat as she continuously coughed up crimson. She was rushed to the hospital where doctors and nurses poked and prodded at her. And yet, much to his annoyance, they still didn’t know how to treat her sickness other than to ‘let her rest.’ And ‘wait it out’.

Now, Ichabod ran his thumb along the skin on Abbie’s hand, not caring about the angry marks and bumps that marred her skin. He could feel tears form in his eyes as he growled in frustration. Never before, had he felt so defeated.

_Abbie. Please return to us – to me,_ Ichabod hoped, repeating the words, _come back to me, come back to me, come back to me_ , in his mind.

Until he felt a pull.

His startled gaze darted towards Abbie’s face only to find her eyes fluttering open. He nearly jumped out of his seat. “Abbie?” He tried quietly, frantically.

“Crane…?” And it wasn’t until her eyes, still bright and full of life, found his that he released the breath that he had been holding.

“Oh, thank God…” Ichabod gasped. He was now grasping her hand like a lifeline, afraid that if he loosened his grip for even a second, she would disappear. “I feared you were already gone.”

The corners of Abbie’s lips twitched upwards, “I’m right here, Crane.” She curled her fingers around his own long, lanky ones. “I’m right here.”

“And I would wish you to be nowhere else,” Ichabod smiled and pushed a soft kiss to her hand before craddling it to his chest as if it were the most precious thing in the world.

(And at that moment, it really was.)


End file.
